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BRIDGEPORT -- A federal judge Friday refused to throw out a lawsuit that claims heavily armed police officers used unreasonable force and violated their own training procedures when they burst into an Easton home in May 2008 and fatally shot a Norwalk man watching television with a friend.

In a 27-page decision, U.S. District Court Judge Janet Bond Arterton refused to dismiss the lawsuit filed by the family of Gonzalo Guizan and Easton homeowner Ronald Terebesi. The lawsuit is against the towns of Easton, Trumbull, Monroe, Darien and Wilton, their police chiefs and several officers.

The 33-year-old Guizan was shot half a dozen times by Monroe Officer Michael Sweeney during a raid by members of the Southwest Regional Emergency Response Team at Terebesi's home at 91 Dogwood Drive, Easton on May 18, 2008.

"We are pleased with the ruling," said Morgan Rueckert, of Shipman and Goodwin, who represents the Guizan family. "It recognizes that the allegations are sufficient to allow the case to proceed."

Terebesi's lawyer, Gary Mastronardi, cited the language the judge used in her decision.

"She said if we can prove all the allegations in our complaint -- and we can -- then in the court's opinion we would have proven the civil rights violations."

Guizan had been watching television in the home with Terebesi when the 21-member police team, armed with automatic weapons, broke down the door and threw flash grenades inside.

The lawsuit states that Easton Police Chief John Solomon and Easton Capt. John Candee made the decision to call in SWERT after an exotic dancer who had earlier been at the home told them she saw Terebesi and Guizan take "something" out of a small tin, place it in two small glass smoking pipes and smoke it. She never told officers there were weapons in the home, the suit states.

"The decision to call out SWERT to execute the warrant was unjustified, unreasonable, an arbitrary abuse of police power, and not based on a legitimate law enforcement objective," the suit states. "It was intended to frighten, intimidate, harass and/or punish Terebesi and Guizan and, on information and belief, to further Solomon's interests."

The suit states that as late as the previous day, Terebesi had agreed to cooperate with police regarding allegations of drug use in his home.

The judge points out in her decision that prior to the raid, members of the assault team had objected to the planned forced entry. They proposed they first call the home and demand the occupants come out, but were overruled by Solomon and Candee.